The man called David Clark, under Emily Smith's orders, untied the ropes binding William Sullivan. William Sullivan's arms were numb and it took a while before he could move them. He rubbed his swollen wrists, then touched the back of his head—sure enough, there was a noticeable bump, and just touching it sent a sharp pain through him.

“Hiss—” As soon as William Sullivan touched the bump on the back of his head, he sucked in a breath from the pain, but caught sight of Emily Smith pursing her lips in a smile. She probably had never seen such a pampered person before.

Only Emily Smith and William Sullivan were left in the hall. William Sullivan became even more alert—this Miss Smith was truly not easy to deal with. Who knew what scheme she was plotting now? He had to be extra careful not to fall into her trap. Yet, seeing the beauty’s red lips gently pressed against the white jade teacup in such an alluring pose, his heart skipped a beat.

William Sullivan felt helpless—he really didn’t know why he was turning into such a lecher.

“Hey, what’s your name?” Emily Smith gently set down the teacup with her jade-like hand.

“William Sullivan.” He answered without thinking, and felt a surge of satisfaction. After twenty years, it was the first time he had confidently spoken his name from his previous life. He had used it before, but only as an alias when going with Charles Bennett to forbidden places for imperial clan youths. In this life, he was Aisin Gioro Jingxiang.

“A Han? Have you joined a Banner?”

William Sullivan nodded honestly, “Yes, Han Army Bordered Blue Banner.” He really was in the Bordered Blue Banner, though it was the Manchu Bordered Blue Banner.

Emily Smith asked again, “Charles Bennett’s follower?”

That was a tricky one. William Sullivan braced himself and nodded, “You could say that.” It wasn’t entirely a lie—whether it was bird-walking, hawk-racing, or visiting pleasure quarters, wasn’t it always Charles Bennett who took him? He’d even been to an opium den once.

“All right then, I believe you’re telling the truth. I won’t hide it from you either. I came to Beijing this time for my brother—he’s currently imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice’s prison.”

William Sullivan gave a wry smile, “Well, even Charles Bennett can’t help you with that, can he? The Ministry of Justice’s prison holds serious criminals—he can’t get involved, nor would he dare.”

Emily Smith shook her head, “No one knows his real identity. He was arrested by the city guards for fighting, and the one who led the arrest was Charles Bennett.”

William Sullivan was slightly taken aback. He did know that Charles Bennett had gotten a fourth-rank post as a city gate commander in the Infantry Command, but he hadn’t expected the guy to actually do something proper for once. It was quite a surprise.

But now that she mentioned it, Charles Bennett was indeed the right person for this. He was the one who arrested the man and threw him into the Ministry of Justice’s prison—just find a reason and he could get him out.

Emily Smith continued, “You’ve heard the whole story. Since you’re unwilling to write a letter to Charles Bennett and betray your friend, that’s your choice. But now, saving my brother falls to you. My brother is using the alias Paul Smith in the capital, posing as a Guangxi merchant. I imagine this small favor should be easy for you, right?”

William Sullivan was stunned again. How could she be so shameless? He was about to speak when he saw Emily Smith slowly place several silver notes and a bright green jade thumb ring on the table, her sparkling eyes fixed on him without blinking. William Sullivan knew then—he was exposed.

The silver notes were nothing—just over a hundred taels. While ordinary people couldn’t come up with that much, it only proved he came from a wealthy family. Besides, as a follower of a yellow-banded noble, how could he not carry money? But the jade thumb ring was a rare item—rumor had it that Wu Sangui once wore it, and after the suppression of the Three Feudatories, it ended up in Prince Zheng’s mansion. When William Sullivan first wore it, he’d wondered if he’d become a traitor himself.

Seeing Emily Smith gently lift her teacup, looking completely confident, William Sullivan had no choice but to nod and say, “It would be my honor to help you, miss.”

Chapter Four: We Are Profligates, We Are Profligates

Blindfolded, he was put into a hired carriage. When the blindfold was removed and he got out, William Sullivan couldn’t help but give a wry smile—they were back at Yanchun Courtyard.

In the morning sun, the courtyard was shaded by lush green trees, surrounded by buildings with railings, and the fragrant boudoirs and jade chambers were indescribably beautiful.

Most of the girls and guests were still asleep. Emily Smith and William Sullivan went straight to the large room in the west building, with David Harris now acting as the new attendant, following behind. On the stairs, they ran into Big Teapot. When Big Teapot saw William Sullivan, he stood to the side and greeted him respectfully, his eyes showing a hint of surprise—he must have wondered when this young master and the lady had gone out.

After entering the room, David Harris, who was last in, closed the door. Emily Smith glanced at William Sullivan a few times and said, “You can write to whomever you want, David Clark will run errands for you. Do you want to send a letter home to let them know you’re safe?” She still didn’t know this young master’s identity, and his slippery words were far from truthful. Now that he was in a dangerous place, she had to be cautious at every turn.

William Sullivan quickly shook his head, thinking, forget it—if the letter was delivered, his own life would probably be forfeit.

It was clear that Emily Smith intended to keep a close eye on him now. It made sense—she’d already told him her brother’s identity. If he escaped, her brother’s life would be forfeit.

As for the pill David Harris had stuffed into his mouth, claiming that if he didn’t take the antidote in seven days, he’d be poisoned—Emily Smith must have seen from his expression that he didn’t believe it, and so it had no deterrent effect. That’s why she came along herself.

William Sullivan really didn’t believe in such poisons. Even if he was poisoned, if even the imperial physicians couldn’t cure it, how could they have an antidote? Still, these Jianghu tricks probably had some market in this era.